Untold Memories
by heaven-hell-earth
Summary: This tale isn't about me, or my friends, or my family. Nope. It's about a complete and total stranger who I met and learned about by chance. He should not be remembered as a monster, but as a man. BryanxMariah. AU
1. Of Monsters and Men

Untold Memories

This story has pretty much nothing to do with beyblade as a sport. That and I don't own beyblade.

* * *

As most people know, many stories have a beginning, middle, and an end. But what some don't realize is that written stories tend to only be a middle. To tell a story from beginning to end, you must cover all details from birth to death. And even then the story might not be done.

Since I can't tell you the whole story, a slice of the middle will have to suffice. That and I don't know the entire story. This tale isn't about me, or my friends, or my family. Nope. It's about a complete and total stranger who I met and learned about by chance.

So, this isn't my story, but one that can only be told by me. Only I have the guts to tell people I don't even know about him. The story sad, the pain great. But even so, his memory doesn't deserve to disappear. Even if he is never again seen in this town, people should at least be able to speak of him, not in fear, but in respect.

I was most likely the only one to speak to him in years. He was not the monster everyone thought him to be. No, he was kind and gentle, if you could get past his defenses.

If you are ready and willing to listen to his story, please continue on. He should not be remembered as a monster, but as a man. Please help me respect his memory, it should never be forgotten.


	2. The Lake

Untold Memories

Okay. Just so you all know, everyone lives in a small village in China. That makes life easier for me and this is a fan-fiction, kay? And please review!

* * *

It all started on a hot summer's day. In my small town, there's almost nothing to do. All the kids were gathered at the lake when noon hit. The lake was at the very edge of town, but the center of all activities here. It was the 'it' place to be, which meant you could get the best of everything thing here. Yep. The best gossip, food, and fun was found at the lake.

Then again, that was no surprise. The white sands were amazingly cool if you buried your feet deep enough and the clear, blue water sparkled like sapphires even when the sun wasn't hitting it's surface. On all sides was a forest, tall, dark green trees blocking all the noise from the village. And even though many people visited this place everyday, it was amazingly clean. It was a taboo to litter at the lake, and many thought that we were dirtying the beauty with just our presence.

For me, it started as a normal day. I packed a lunch, a book, and some other items before heading down to the lake. I was wearing a pink sun dress over a black bikini with a white beach bag. I walked through the sleepy town with bare feet. Here we are unbearably clean. Meaning there are no rocks on the dirt streets unless someone purposely moves them there, which is quite rare.

So I traveled through the silent village, unnerved by the silence. When I finally made it to the forest, I could relax. There was sound here, even if it was nature. But I didn't mind that, I actually like the sounds of nature better than those of humans. Sometimes they can be overly noisy.

Since I also had better hearing than most, I winced slightly when sound bombarded my poor ears. I guess you might be wondering why I would go to the lake if it caused me so much pain. Well this lake is large and people only messed around on three of the four sides. Not saying that the lake is square or anything, just that only the north, west, and east shores had towns people while the south did not. Personally, I had no idea why no one was over there. The view is beautiful and the nature surrounding it was practically untouched.

So I causally walked, even though I wanted to run, along the east shore until I made it to the south. There I did the usual routine of putting down my towel, laying down on said towel with a book, and began to read. I remember clearly what book I was reading that day, a bunch of poems by Emily Dickenson. Sometimes I had no idea what she was writing about, but the emotions were always there. I understand emotions and I get the gist of the poetry that way, instead of trying to decode every little word until it makes perfect and total sense.

My concentration on trying to find that elusive emotion was broken when my best friend, and the most 'reliable' gossiper called my name, loudly, before kneeling in front of me.

"Mariah! Do you ever wonder why no one but you is ever over here?" Ray asked excitedly. As much as I love him, like a brother, he's very annoying when he just got the latest scoop.

"I do wonder, since there's a wondrous view over here." I sighed, looking through my pink bangs up at him. At that time, I was thinking about why Ray always got excited when it came to gossip. I mean, he lives and breathes that stuff. Day in and day out, it's all about what he said and she did. Then again, it gets so boring here, people do need a hobby. Maybe I should get one, considering I spend all my time either sleeping, eating, or on this here rock.

"…And that's why you're the only person on this side!" Ray finished dramatically, waving his arms in the air.

"Huh?" I said intelligently. I really have to get better at listening when people talk.

"I said," Ray took a deep breath. "There's a ramshackled house just up that path, you see it?, and inside lives a murderer! You know those kids that disappeared last summer? Yeah well, he killed them! And he stomps around in town at night and if you don't lock your doors, he'll either kill you or eat you alive!" He said all in one breath.

"That's very nice and all, but I doubt that whoever is in that house eats humans, dead or alive." I sighed again, looking up the path Ray had shown me. The house was a nice size but it needed major repairs, if you could even repair it. What interested me was the fact that there were rocks and strange prints on the path. Whoever lived there, either they wore shoes, or they had some tough and crazy looking feet.

"Don't doubt the gossip, it is so totally true!" Ray shook his head at me before standing up. "I'm gonna go see if Hilary has gotten any dirty laundry on Tala yet. Bye!"

"Gossip is rarely true, but highly entertaining." I muttered to myself before flipping through my book again. Before I began to search for those hidden emotions once more, I glanced a look up at the house. Back then I didn't want to believe what I saw, the flickering of the curtains in one window. Since I was in denial about anything that could hurt me, I kept telling myself that it was only the wind, or that it was my eyes playing tricks on me.

But every time I looked away from my book and towards that house, I thought I saw something moving. Every single time. It got so unnerving, I packed up and left early, deciding that I would find some ice cream, or anything else sugary, and eat tons of it before retiring to bed early. Life had other plans for me.

My parents were out, I don't remember why, and my older brother was hiding out upstairs. So I claimed the the downstairs, as usual. I was lounging on the couch flipping through a random book that I had already read when my cat, Galux, jumped up on my chest and began to growl softly.

In this village, we all have pet animals that reflect our personalities. They're not really pets though, considering that I have a mountain cat and Lee a lion, more of a friendly companion that you spend the better part of your life with.

I started gasping for breath, I've had Galux for only a year but she's considerably bigger than the kitten that was the size of my hands cupped together. She's about my height and weighs a little less, so it's like having me fall heavily on myself. Which hurts.

So I took the hint and pushed her off as wiggled off the couch and toward the door, slipping on some shoes. We left the house and I smiled. The sun was setting, turning the sky into a water color painting of reds, oranges, and pinks. I took a nice, deep breath. The air was such a wondrous thing up here.

One thing I know is that fresh air is a rare thing in this world. Up here in the mountains, you can find still find it, but only in places where there are no cars. Thank God that everything is so close we don't need cars. Hell, we don't even bikes, you can just walk to everything. Besides, I've seen cars, and they don't smell nice, not to mention they do nothing for your health.

I followed Galux where ever she wandered. Sometimes she got really moody and all she wanted was some company, so she'd drag me around randomly. Not that I had to follow her, but it was always a good excuse to leave the house and not have to be around my parents. I love them, but they're really annoying.

Before I knew what was really happening, Galux stiffened before running off. Her tawny fur disappeared down the path. Lucky for me, she was making a racket. I ran down the path, in the back of my head I noticed that it was growing dark fast. Sounds of something crashing through the forest reached my ears, causing me to race towards the sounds. I hoped that no one was being disturbed by the noise, then again, they could all suck it up and take it like men.

I kept to the path though I could tell Galux had strayed off, thanks to a decent sized hole in what used to be a thick tangle of plants. Sooner or later, she would go to the lake and wait for me there.

As I passed the last of the trees, two things stole my breath away. The first was the lake. It was simply amazing, since I had never before went to the lake after dark fell. Water was dark on the edges but silvery in the middle, it seemed to be a portal into another world. It was a sanctuary in the midst of darkness and the unknown. The second thing I saw was a man. His silver hair matched the water in the center of the lake, it seemed to move constantly, even if it was still. His back was towards me as he raised one lean yet muscular arm towards the sky. A bird, which I later learned was a falcon, landed on the outstretched arm. Galux leapt out of the bushes, not yet wanting to give up the chase of the bird.

And I shatter the silence with one word. "Galux!"


	3. Moonlit Meeting

Untold Memories

Thanks to those who bothered to review, they make my life amazingly happy! Please enjoy this chapter. Onward!

* * *

_And I shattered the silence with one word. "Galux!"_

The man turned to face me, and I suddenly cringed. Even though we had the space of an entire lake between us, I could feel his stare drilling into my head. His demeanor was scarily powerful, and yet I couldn't help but be drawn to him. There was this feeling of hurt mixed with strength being radiated from his body. I wanted to reach out and hold him but at the same time I wanted to run away and never look back. Instead of listening to my head, I took a step forward. That one step didn't really let me come closer, but it got my point across. And his response was to take a step back.

I didn't realized that Galux had come back to me until I felt her nuzzling my hand, telling me she wanted to go home. So I backed away slowly, my gaze never leaving his. I had a feeling that if I looked away, he would suddenly appear before me. Once we were in the cover of the trees, I turned my back and ran. Ray _had _been right! There was someone in that house, a murderer, it seemed. Even if he wasn't, and he isn't, he definitely had that 'I will destroy' vibe. Very creepy, especially at night, all alone, at a lake surrounded by forest.

I gasped when a vice-like grip tugged on my arm, forcing me to slam into a hard chest. I was ready to scream, but a hand slapped itself over my mouth. I tilted my head back only to see him up close. His hair was not the sliver as I first thought, but more of a pale lavender, and his eyes were an hypnotizing grey. Like the calm before the storm. I shivered, hoping that the coming storm wouldn't get me hurt. And there was also a scar. From the corner of his right eye down to his jaw. It was faint, but there. He had a strong jaw with just a bit of stubble.

"You're that girl." He hissed in my ear. I shivered again, but this time because of the cold. I had just realized that he was sopping wet. I was surprised. He, this man I had never seen before, is dripping water while telling me, vaguely, that I'm a girl he knows. O-okay. "Don't scream." He slowly removed his hand, ready slam it down if needed.

It was then I noticed Galux hidden in a tree, ready to pounce. I whispered her name, and all hell broke loose. She leapt from the tree onto him, catching him by surprise. His voice, didn't scream, but was more of a moan when Galux bit him. That interested me, because whenever I had been bitten, I had cried like a baby.

His hand let me go and I raced down the path, legs pumping. I was going much faster this time, considering I didn't want to be caught again. And if I was, I don't think Galux would be able to save me. It wasn't long before my new best friend was running beside me. We both knew that this was the most exercise we had gotten in a long time.

I finally felt safe enough to slow down once I was inside the village. We walked quickly to my house where I locked the door and we ran into my bedroom. Both of us flopped down onto the bed when I smelt something awful.

"Galux?" She looked at me innocently, but I could see the blood on her fur. "What did you do to him?" I looked at her as she tried, and failed, to look innocent. "That's it. We are so brushing your teeth." I sighed as I walked over to my own bathroom.

Galux whimpered, she knew what was coming. The brushing of the teeth. We both knew that I did it rarely, but God did she have to draw so much blood? That made me feel worse then I already did. If I told anyone about what happened, they would tell me that feeling sorry for him is really stupid and they would probably, most likely, chase him down and do God knows what to him. And then I would feel even worse then I do now and I would never be able to forgive myself.

Ah. There it is. The dreaded toothbrush. I picked up the yellow device and slowly dripped water on it, drawing out the pain and terror. I cornered Galux and forced her mouth open. The brush moved back and forth over her teeth while I was gagging from the smell. Stupid blood and saliva mix smell.

After every inch of those sharp teeth were cleaned, and after I got a few small cuts from the struggling cat, I let her run away. It was very likely that I wouldn't see her for a few hours, since she'd be wallowing in the pain and injustice of me getting rid of the awful stench. And that gave me the time I needed to gather medical supplies.

Yep. I'm crazy. I am going back to the very person who could have killed me to give them medical help after my cat risked her life to save me. Yeah. I'm totally and completely sane. And yet, logical thinking didn't seem to be there. I realized that my mothering instincts overruled those of survival. So I packed a bag filled with everything from bandages to sleeping pills.

And then I changed my clothes. I was still wearing my dress from before, so instead I put on black pants and a pink shirt. Now that's so much better than running around in that dress.

I wanted to make sure that Lee didn't find out that I was gone, so I just didn't open my door. I was glad that Lee never ever goes into my room without permission, that meant that my method of escape was my window. The window was pushed up and I jumped down to the ground. I froze for a few seconds, just to make sure no one noticed me and my awesome jump from a second story window.

After the jump, I kept to the darker shadows. It's not liked I wanted to be found when I was so close. The wind caused my hair to fly around even though I was just walking around slowly. As I moved down that path, my eyes scanned the ground. I saw where he had caught me and where Galux attacked him. There wasn't an alarming amount of blood, but it was still a lot.

I followed the trail he had made, realizing that he had shoes on. So he was the person hidden up in the rundown house. He had been dragging his feet and the blood had dripped onto the ground. I was feeling really sorry for him around then. I took it slowly until I found him sitting on a rock at the edge of the lake.

He was a decent distance away, so I relaxed a little and took in some of his details. He was wearing a black tank-top, ripped jeans, and scuffed up combat boots. One arm was bent in an awkward angle and I could tell it was still bleeding heavily, even though I was so far away. I think it was because his skin was so pale, like the moon.

This man before me had skin that could only belong to the brother of the moon. It's pale color was enchanting, but obviously flawed. But he also seemed to give off the energy of another nightly presence. The wolf.

Both are considered night dwellers, only appearing when the sun went down. Yet they are drastically different. The moon is feminine. It represents beauty, love, and unity. At night, the stars and the moon work together to create a picture that all can see. On the other hand, the wolf is a creature of power and dominance, a trait normally affiliated with men. When a pack of them work together, they are a murderous force. This stranger before me seemed to have qualities of both. So, would this beauty of a man bring people together? Or would he use them to get only what he wanted?

But if one is to analyze the night, they must also pick at the day. The day is also represented by two things. The first and most obvious, is the sun. The great ball of fire is undeniably thought to be masculine. The sun is egotistical, which explains why it is the only thing from space that shows at the time. It also has strength and fury on it's side, giving it a hidden fear factor. We don't know that we fear it until it comes after us. And then there is the cat. This creature is depicted to be feminine, even though people claim that the lion is 'The King of All Beasts'. Clearly, they meant the queen. Cats tend to be standoffish, even if they're in groups, they don't like outsiders. But they are also quite motherly, always there to take care of those dear to them. Does that mean I don't like others, even if I feel a motherly attraction to them?

So. Does this make me a sister of the sun? And are we attracted to those who are similar or opposite? Am I egotistical and standoffish, or do I search for someone with those qualities? Those are questions that will never be answered, most likely. I have a better chance to be struck by lightning.

As I watched him, I noticed that his head moved slightly, turning to face the shadows I was hiding in. "Come out. I know you are there." It was whispered, but loud. In a place where silence is the norm and sound destructive, any noise not of nature itself was deafening.

I moved into plain view, while making no sudden movements. He was something unknown, something I had never dealt with before. I had to be careful, he was something that I loathed. Unpredictability. "I just feel bad about Galux biting you. I want to help." I whispered back. And I knew he could hear me. It was interesting, seems like I'm not the only one with good hearing.

"I don't need your help." He said coolly. We both knew he was lying. Great. Another egotistical bastard in my life. Just what I needed.

"Yes you do. I met you an hour ago, and your still bleeding." I barked. It was kinda funny, considering I'm more of a cat than anything else. He either couldn't argue or didn't, so I took that as an invitation to come closer. And so I did. Even though I wished to get over there and help as fast as possible, I knew I had to take it slow. If I scared him in any way, there was nothing stopping him from killing me. I put my faith and trust into a stranger. Well, just a few days ago I _was _wishing for more excitement, so I guess I can't go around cursing fate or anything like that. I had to be cool, calm, and show no fear.

When I finally got near him, I knelt down in front of the rock and looked him in the eye. I don't know what he saw, but I know what I saw in him. His eyes, such a pretty shade, were almost blank. Almost. I could see the slight vulnerability he had when being at the mercy of another human. I knew, I just _knew_, that he hadn't had contact with another human in awhile. His ridged posture, his unwillingness to get too close.

Back in the woods when he was chasing me, I could tell he was acting on instincts. Predatory instincts. I have no doubt that he would have killed me, just because I had seen him. But when treating his wounds, I knew why he had tried so hard to get rid of me. If he kept having contact with me, he would grow an attachment. By my unprofessional guess, I was sure that he was a social outcast, and that he thought that if he had a growing a fondness of something he cannot have, it would leave all of his defenses open. And that would create a weakness that he doesn't seem able to cope with.

The few wounds he had were on his arm, but they were deep. I was grossed out that my sweet little Galux could inflict so much damage, but that's a mountain cat for you. I quickly cleaned and wrapped up his left arm. As I stared at my accomplishment he slid off the rock.

"Wait!" I called without thinking. I was still on the ground where his feet used to be, and I didn't want him to leave. I felt a certain kinship with him even though I've only known him for about two hours and he tried to kill me.

He stopped, but didn't look at me. I smirked and, once again, took that as a good sign. "What should I call you?" The brother of the moon did nothing for a few seconds before continuing on his way towards the south shore. "Bye, Bird Boy." I called after him and giggled as I saw him tense. Little did he know, I was so totally going to visit him again the next day. You know, to check up on that arm of his. It's always better to be safe than sorry, and I'm not exactly sure where Galux puts in her mouth.

After watching his retreating form, and knowing that he did live in the old house at the top of the south shore, I stood and brushed off my pants before packing all my medical supplies and heading back home. I almost skipped down the path, skirting scene of the scuffle. I was in a rare state of happiness. My motherly instincts that I normally have for random weeks at a time, were gone all in one night. Wanna know why? Half of them were scared away by a person I don't know but they obviously know me. The other half was used up on the same guy when I had a sudden guilty phase and decided to help him recover from wound that were caused by my cat! Maybe I'll go home and bake cookies even though it has to be, what?, nine at night?

When that little sarcastic moment was over, I noticed that I was in front of my house. And I couldn't go inside because then my brother would hear and then he would wonder how I got out without him noticing and then he would want to know why I was even out in the first place. And the door was locked. That wouldn't do. My solution? To somehow get back up in my room without a lot of noise. Now this would be tricky. Sure, I had jumped out my window to escape the stresses of life countless times before, but then I always seemed to be able to find someone to help me back up.

If Galux wasn't angry at me, I could have her open the front door, close it, and then have me walk in. Random openings and closing of the door was normal for my family, and I really don't know why.

And then my one and only wish for Christmas was answered. Gary, one of my best friends, came walking along the road at my very moment of peril. "Gary! I need your help!" I whispered, waving him over. He looked at me questioningly. "I'll give you a huge batch of cookies tomorrow if you let me onto your shoulders and let me jump into my room."

I didn't have to say anything more. Once there was the promise of food, he was like putty in my hands. Not like I would ever take advantage of him, no way. I just like to use his height to my advantage. I jumped onto his shoulders as he moved under my window. With me on him, we take up a little less than a story, so I jumped up onto my ledge before waving down to Gary, who was heading off again. At a slow yet dedicated pace.

I slid off the window sill and flopped down onto my bed. It had been an exciting but tiring day. I fell asleep with all the lights bright, the window open, and my clothes still on.

Two things woke me the next day. The first thing that brought me out of my deep sleep was the sun. My room faced the west, so it must have been late. Very very late. The second thing was a random bouncing. Up and down, up and down. I groaned and mumbled something incoherently while trying to swat the moving thing that was disturbing my peaceful sleep. When my hand connected with fur and a rough tongue began to roughly attack my cheek.

"Me up, me up!" I mumbled as I sat up in bed. Galux laid there, her lips curled back into a grin. Most people would think that she was feral, but I knew that it was her way of playing. "Thanks to you, I was almost killed, and now you're smiling?" I forced myself out of my bed and into the bathroom, Galux following. She laid down on the cool tile while I took a cold shower to wake myself up.

Cold water is such a great thing when the heat of summer is here. It always feels good against my skin, and it helps me think. Why did I want to help him so much? It's not like I have attachment issues. Okay fine. I do. I just can't let go of things, which probably explains the mess in my room that I can't get rid off. And that's the reason why I try not to get too close to people. I stay locked up in my room or out on my rock almost all the time. I have almost no contact with my family, and just a bit more with my friends. The only one I see almost constantly is Galux, and if anything happened to her, I don't think I'd be able to continue on without her.

Back to Bird Boy. Considering that he won't tell me his name, I think he doesn't want an attachment either. Too bad for him, I'm already interested. It's just like me to want something I can't have. All I want is to know him better, but if I learn more that I what I already know, I'll never leave him be. Poor man. I wonder what he'd think if I kept popping up every night. For now I can go under the disguise of wanting his arm to heal properly. But first I'd have to find out how to even treat am arm that's been attacked by a large cat. Hmm. Maybe I could ask Lee. He's been bitten countless times by his lion, he might be willing to tell me.

Sadly, I also have to make cookies today if I even want to leave the house today. Heh. Gary will probably even come to my house to get them. I should probably get out now so I can figure how I can get everything done without anyone figuring out about Bird Boy.

I turned off the water, hopped out, and started to dry off. My pink hair was plastered down to my head, which meant that I was not going outside until it fluffed back up. The clothes of the day were very similar to the ones of the night before, but clean.

I was happy that day. I got extra sleep, and I had the chance to help someone I felt like I knew, even if I didn't.

With Galux following, I pretty much skipped down the hallway and knocked on Lee's door. When I heard I grunt, I took it was a sign to come in. It was then I realized that Lee and Bird Boy had a lot in common. Both used limited words to get their point across. Maybe I could use one to learn more about the other.

Only my head went around the door, making sure that only my face was in danger if Lee got angry. Short tempers are always so much fun. "Hey, Lee? How do you treat bite wounds?"

"Why do you want to know?" I stayed silent while glaring at his head. Come on! It wasn't hard! I could see his bare arms filled with the many scars that Galeon had so lovingly given him while wrestling. "Fine. You treat it like ay other cut, just use more alcohol."

"Thanks Lee." I darted out of the room and down the stairs before he could say anything. It would be a whole lot safer downstairs because he was too lazy to even go leave the top floor. There, I moved towards the kitchen. After eating three apples, I began to make cookies from scratch. I didn't have to, considering that we had those pre-made cookies that all you had to do was put them in the oven, but I wanted time to think over random things.

I don't even remember what I was thinking about at the time, just that I was thinking hard. The only thing that I even paid attention to were the cookies, the cookies that held my life in their stupid little hands. Do cookies even have hands? Anyway, Gary hates when people lie, and I don't to be on the receiving end of that anger. So those damn cookies better taste awesomely good.

As I waited for the cookies to finish baking, Galux spent her time weaving in and out of my legs as I tried to pace. Tried the key word. I kept falling hard, landing on my hands and knees. Galux, that sneaky kitty, would dart away before I fell, stay away for a few minutes, and then come back. That tricky kitty was getting revenge on me since I brushed her teeth last night. And afterwards I helped Bird Boy.

"Argh! Why can't I forget about him for just two minutes?" I groaned as I stopped pacing and rested my head against the wall. One good thing about baking cookies is that I now have fluffy hair again. Which means I can leave this house before my parents come back at two so they can't question my mood. Today's day mood? Confused, flustered, and annoyed.

"My baby sister is growing up!" Lee smirked as he jumped onto the counter while grabbing an apple.

"Shut up."

"Not only can she cook, she has a crush!" He laughed while Galux growled. She never did like Lee. "Who's the unlucky guy?"

I smirked as I pulled out the cookies and throwing them in a container. Screw letting them cool off, it'll take me forever to find Gary, anyway. I knew exactly what to say to Lee that would make him avoid me like the plague for the next month, at least.

Lee watched me, waiting for an answer as I grabbed a lunch I had made the day before and threw it all in with the cookies. As I headed for the door, I turned to him and smiled. "You are." I laughed inside at his shocked face before bolting outside, Galux close behind. I noted that I wasn't wearing shoes, oh well. Not like I haven't done that before.

When we were safely down the path, I started laughing and she purred contentedly. Lee's face had been hilarious. A mix of horror and total surprise. There was nothing funnier than a normally calm Lee who was completely flustered.

Ah. The joy of making of older siblings crazy was my life force, kinda sorta. It was a good way to keep contact to a minimum. Yep.

After I laughed myself to tears, I continued down the path, wiping away the salt water. I hoped that no one would notice the red-ish tint in my eyes. The nature was soothing, and it reminded me of last night, and yet the noise of the lake didn't bother as much this time. It was still uncomfortable, but at least I didn't have the want to run away from it all. Man, that must be a gift from God.

I moved slowly, randomly looking around to see if I could spot Gary. He normally spent his time with Ray when at the lake, something about liking to know most of the gossip before anyone else. And Ray normally spent his time in the middle of everyone else, sending his 'minions of gossip' out to find everyone's dirty laundry. Fun fun fun.

I scanned the lake area before I found Ray bouncing up and down excitedly. Gary wasn't too far off, sitting under a large tree. I moved over next to him and held out the cookies.

"Hey Gary. I brought cookies!" I smiled as he took them. I plopped down next to him, too lazy to move. Why move all the way over towards the south shore when I could stay here? And it was quiet here because people don't like to get to close to Ray when he went into full 'get da dirt' mood. I'm was sleepy, so there was no want for me to move, anyway.

So I cuddled into Galux, who was next to me, and spent the rest of the day under Gary's tree. I only moved when sunset came and Ray left, causing people to almost blow my ears out with sound. It was then I stood up and headed for home, laughing, because of the remembered prank on Lee.


	4. Adrenaline Rush

Untold Memories

This chapter is dedicated to Bailey, my cousin's dog who I love to death but is horridly sick. I hope she gets better, and I hope all of you like this chapter, considering it took me a bit to get this out. Did you all know that I love reviews, and the more I get, the sooner I update? Yeah. So even if you flame, it'll make me want to prove you wrong and I'll just update more. So, that's today's rant. I hope you all enjoyed… now go and read the part you came here for!

I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE!!

* * *

I opened the door to my house slowly, hoping that Lee wasn't waiting nearby with a throw-able object. In order to protect myself, I sent in Galux first. She was more than capable of taking herself. I watched her as she crawled through the room, waiting to be bombarded by random objects. But nothing came, so I slipped into the house, ran upstairs, closed and locked my door with Galux by my side.

She purred contentedly as she jumped onto my bed. I slid down onto the floor, ready to fall into a deep sleep only to never awaken. There was nothing I was looking forward too, except for my visit to Bird Boy. It annoyed me that he wouldn't tell me his name, but I guess no one in the world, alive, knew his name. Probably was only known as a monster for the longest of times.

I wondered what happened to his family and friends. He must have had a family at some point, otherwise he wouldn't have been born. So where were they? Why was he alone? How did he even survive all alone? It's not like he came into town every night for food…did he? No. From what I've seen, he wouldn't even dare to step one foot into town incase someone would see him. So. Does that mean he hunts? I guess that's why he has that bird, and why he doesn't seem to have malnutrition. In fact, he looked amazingly healthy for someone who lives in a broken down house.

"Galux," I started, mind fogged with the want for sleep. "Why am I interested in Bird Boy so much?" I got an mew as an answer. "Not true! I don't like him." A growl. "I have attachment issues. Just because I like almost everything I see means nothing." Another growl. "All I want to do is help him. That's final." A snort. "Fine. Don't believe me."

Yes. I normally spend my days talking to Galux in such a ways. It may seem crazy, but when you try really hard to not talk to people, you need to socialize somehow. And a cat that has become your bestest buddy in the whole universe is the best thing to talk to. Since we can both understand one another, it's the perfect solution to both my boredom and my lack of awesomely awesome social skills.

I closed my eyes, hoping that I would be able to catch a quick nap before going out to stalk- I mean, find and help Bird Boy. Hopefully, he wouldn't try and kill me again. That night was terrifying and yet, strangely exhilarating. I had the feeling like I wanted it to happen again, just for the adrenaline I was able to experience. Yes, there was pure, unadulterated fear, but under that. Once you looked past the fear, there was excitement.

There was only one thing I craved in life, one thing I wanted but could never have. Adrenaline. That sort of thing is rare in my village, considering it's so small and the most exciting thing could either be hiking or trying understand Ray babble at top speed about the latest gossip. And that's almost the equivalent of watching fast paced grass grow.

And then, I felt it. Something was watching me, drilling holes into the side of my head. The pain wasn't physical, but psychological. I imagined the pain that I should have been in. It wasn't real, none of it. But no matter how hard I tried to escape my imagined pain, I couldn't. Not until I snapped my eyes open.

And there was nothing. Only Galux sat upon my bed, snoring softly. I looked toward my window, noticing nothing strange. My back was still resting on the door. There were only two ways into my room, and neither had been breached. So either my brain hormones were whacked up or something really had caused me to freak out.

After taking a few deep breaths, I crawled toward my window without waking Galux. Or maybe I did, but she didn't care. I gripped the sill before looking up at the moon. Never before had I looked at something so pretty in my life. It was a spotlight against a dark sea, forcing you to look there and no where else. A tangible white, so full of flaws and yet one of the most perfect things in the world. The moon was forever changing, never stopping for anyone, not even herself. And she was always working, never resting. Forever she pushed and pulled the water, helping those who were favorites and harming those who angered her.

Galux growled lightly, turning over onto her back. "Yes, I should go now." I answered back to her, smiling lightly. I couldn't wait to see him again, and I couldn't wait to see the moon without windows to hold the beauty back. All I wanted at that moment was to see the moon without the restraints of human laws. Those laws that either made or destroyed the mind of humans. What did it do to me? Did those laws cause me break? Or would I thrive under those limitations?

I forced myself away from my window with the promise of seeing it without glass restraints. I quickly ducked under my bed before pulling out a large, black bag. I opened my window and dropped the bag the two stories down and I almost went followed before I actually decided to think before I acted. I pushed Galux off my bed before taking off all of my sheets and tying them all together. I tied one end to a post on my bed before throwing the rest out the window. The pink and white sheets ended about a foot or two above the ground, but my awesome cat skills were no match for the evils of height.

I jumped from my window, picked up my bag, and raced for the lake. My bare feet silently pounded against the soft ground . I didn't dare slow down until I made it to the forest path. Once there, I paused for a second, just to listen to see if anyone dared to follow, and then I continued on at a contented walk. Even though I couldn't see the sky because of the thick trees, I enjoyed the soft noises of nocturnal life for as long as I could. It wasn't long before I heard the sounds of running water.

I broke into a run, and gasped as I saw the moon. She was amazingly pure, in the aura type of way. The way she looked wasn't pure, but the feeling she gave off was of an almost impossible sweetness. And the only way to praise such a wondrous presence was to gaze upon the off-white being. And yet I didn't stop running until I hit the edge of the water. The cold water caressed my feet, causing me to giggle. I turned around in circles as I watched the silver-black water. Black water crawled up and down my legs as the silver sang its own song, swirling around in a hypnotizing dance.

And as I spun around and around, I was secretly watching and waiting for Bird Boy. Oh how I wished I could see him again. Bird Boy had adrenaline, and I wanted adrenaline. Therefore, I wanted Bird Boy. Very strange, but once something intrigued me, I didn't leave it alone until I got as much use as possible out of it. Curiosity killed the cat. Actually, stupidity killed the cat, curiosity was the impending factor. Do I even make sense? Or is my head being strange because of the influence of so many interesting and wonderful things? I really do wonder. I really truly do. Maybe I finally realized that not everything is what it seems.

Suddenly I saw a flash. A silver flash. It was in the forest, so I forced myself away from the water and back toward the path. My bag was clutched tightly to my chest as I kept in the shadows. I was moving for the south shore, my destination was Bird Boy's house. That way he couldn't get rid of me and I could just pester, pester, pester him. I wanted to see how he ticked, and if he would get mad at me. If he did, there would be a chase. And if there was a chase, there would be adrenaline. If there was adrenaline, I would be happy. But if there was adrenaline, I might be killed. Oh well. At least I would die happy. Then again, is it normal for a sixteen year old to be fine with dying? Maybe I should be against dying. No! Stop! Please don't kill me! Ha! Like I'd ever do/say that.

I was brought out of my internal rantings when I walked right into something hard. I looked up to see Bird Boy, glaring at me. But since I was using my cat-like eyes, I could see a tiny bit of amusement and curiosity. Ah. So Lord of the Birds' curiosity was enticed by me. That meant I had a pretty good chance of not dying tonight. Nice.

And he was really a Bird Dude since there was a bird sitting on his shoulder. A hunting bird. I wouldn't be surprised if he kept either a falcon or a hawk. Once trained, they could be very helpful in hunting. Maybe birds are to him like Galux is to me. That would make sense, really. Everyone has an animal that represents them in some way. I'm testy and moody, yet tough and strong-willed, much like a female mountain cat. Ray was cute and cuddly but pissy when angered, kinda like a house cat. But he also had another side to him. When he would go into his 'depressive' stages, he'd be more violent and solitary. And when he was like that, his animal was a tiger. So he was one of the only people in our village that had two animals to take care of.

"Um…hi?" I randomly said. He snorted, and for some reason I felt like he was a male and human form of Galux. Creepy. I also had a feeling that he was saying 'Yeah right. What do you really want?'

"I'm here to make sure your arm is healing properly. You know, 'cause Galux bit you." I slowly lifted the black bag to show him. He did nothing but stare at me, causing me to sigh. Man, he really _was _antisocial. I grabbed his hand and began to drag him toward another rock. We were on the east shore, since I didn't really make it to the south. I guess I didn't really drag him, though. If he didn't want my help, he wouldn't have let me move him.

I pushed him so he'd sit on a rock. What I didn't notice before was that he kept his arm close to his body, as if afraid he'd hurt it. It took some time for me to finally pull it far enough so I could actually work on it. I took off the wrappings, cleaned the wound, and then bandaged it up again. All the while, I was humming happily. He, on the other hand, was stiff and moody. As if he didn't trust me. Ha! Anyone can trust me, so why was he acting all 'she's gonna be the death of me'?

"Done!" I exclaimed happily, but quiet. It was peaceful out here. There wasn't any loud splashing, screaming, talking or anything like that. I was leaning against the same rock he was sitting on. He didn't move, but I could tell he was more relaxed. His legs, which I could see, weren't as tensed.

It took me a second to find the moon again, since she had moved. She really was an interesting force, and I loved her for that. Maybe, one day, I could be like her. Mysterious, beautiful, and powerful. Those are the three things I want to be when I'm on my own. But here's the important question. Would I stay here and marry someone? Or would I leave and break ties with everyone one here so I could see the world. But then, where would I go? Stay in China? Go to America? Where would I go? Or should I stay safe and live out my years here, as so many in my family have done? Decisions, decisions. Before I even try to make sense of all those questions, I'm just gonna wait until I'm old enough to move away.

The wondrous silence was broken by a strange screeching sound. I looked away from the moon long enough to see a bird, mostly likely a 'rock' falcon. The large, light colored bird flew over to us, or should I say, Bird Boy. He stood up and lifted his uninjured arm up into the air. It expertly landed on his arm with only one leg, since the other leg held a large rabbit. I winced slightly as I saw how hard the talons griped his skin, and it was then I noticed the multiple yet tiny scars that littered his arms.

I was surprised, since I had never known someone who could take as much pain as he did. Then again, maybe he didn't feel it. If you were subjected to the same thing over and over again, maybe it just never bothered you. Maybe you would just think of it as a normal part of life. Like my brother. After awhile, I was used to the strange ways he acted, like he was always superior or whatever. Other people always comment on it but I'm so used to it, it never really bothers me. So maybe he was just used to the pain. Or he was a sadist. Either would work, really.

Bird Boy made a clicking sound before taking away the rabbit, placing it on the rock, and petting the bird with his injured hand. He was softly muttering words, some of which I caught. They seemed to be sweet little words, which surprised me. Things like 'thank you', 'such a good girl', and 'sweetie'. Then again, it, I guess it's actually a she, was his best friend. Poor thing. Bird Boy, not the bird herself.

"I'll go. Bye," I said before standing up and stretching. My guess? It was about eleven, because time just flies by when your at the lake. Strange, really. He didn't seem to notice me leaving, seeing as he was still talking to the bird. But I did notice that he stiffened when I called out to him once more.

"Bird Boy." I laughed as he turned to face me, confusion evident in his eyes. The feeling of his eyes on me made me shiver. I felt like I did before, in my room. But this time, I was fairly sure I was awake and it was him. Not my imagination. Scary.

I shook off the feeling he gave me before turning around and walking along the water's edge. This seemingly simple action told him that I trusted him enough not to kill me. He could think a bunch of violent thoughts about me, for all I care. I just don't want him to act upon them.

I kicked at the water as I continued down the east shore until the north. And once again on the beaten path, I sighed. I let myself be submerged into the beauty of the forest, even though it was only on the path. I had never been able to gather the courage it would take to actually venture off the path and into the purity that it had to offer. Like the lake, very rarely did people go inside it. Many believed we destroyed the beauty by not only cutting a path through the forest, but by just being near it. That's how wondrous and magical we think the forest is.

It is good that no one even knows this village exists, or else this entire forest wood have been cut down. And that would be such a shame, for then only the current generation would be able to dream about the wonders and hidden treasures a place like that could hold. We are lucky, for very few people live so close to both a lake and a forest, both amazing and almost untouched. Considering that humans almost always destroy a place, even if they don't even realize it. Then, sadly, it would never be the same, no matter how hard we would wish it to be.

And before I even realized it, I was back inside the village. Only a few lights were on in the multiple homes that dotted the area. I looked from house to house, silently remembering who lived where. Tala's red brick, Kai's white concrete, Max's bright yellow wood, Ray's dark red wood, and then my house, a pretty, in my opinion, tan-ish brick.

With Ray as a next door neighbor, life was never boring, that's for sure. But it did get annoying after a bit.

Instead of going through the front door, which would cause unwanted attention from my parents, I went around to my window. And there, my bed sheets were still hanging out the window, moving slightly in the wind. I grabbed onto them before climbing up, using the wall to help me up. The way I moved was to make sure I created the least amount of sound and used the least amount of energy. And once I had finally made it up to my window, and surviving quite a few scares, I moved to take off my bag and hide it under my bed, until I realized that it wasn't there. After panicking a bit and checking the ground under my window, I figured out that it was still down by the lake. My hope was that no one found it until I got there.

After a bit of running around in circles, watching/listening to Galux laugh at me, and fretting, I decided to sleep. The sooner I went to sleep, the sooner I could wake up, and the sooner I could get my bag.

Sadly, my head was plagued with thought of Bird Boy all night. And even when I got to sleep, my dreams were filled with him and his bird.


	5. Hello, Who Are You?

Untold Memories

Wanna know something awesome? I am so totally able to create my own breeds! Isn't that cool? So don't go flame me saying that a gold and red parrot doesn't exist in the real world...cause this is my world!

Also, I'm sorry that the update took a bit of time, it's extra long, or at least I think it is. Hmm. I know it's longer than the last chapter, so be happy with that. Be happy! So yeah, onward.

Disclaimer: If I owned Beyblade, Tyson wouldn't be world champ, three times in a row.

_The faint sound of a flute was the only thing that was heard. And the only thing seen were the notes jumping up and down on the black background. Then, a pale blue light started coming in from the distance. Small, so small, but slowly getting bigger until there's nothing but the light. The music had stopped and the moving notes had disappeared as well. _

_Then, from what must have been the center of the light, burst forth a fire, the oranges and yellows taking a greenish tint from the blue behind. And inside that fire, were moving pictures. Some of Lee, others of Ray. But mostly, of Bird Boy and his falcon. _

_And from the fire, the pictures broke free. They wandered around in the blue, chatting with nothing and everything. Except for Bird Boy. He just looked into the distance, contemplating something. From his pant pocket, he pulled a knife. He kneeled down, waiting, before everything happened in a hurry. The bird flew toward Ray and slashed his throat. Bird Boy used his blade to slice everything in his way, until everyone in town had died._

_The scenery had changed from blue to the village, but instead of dirt on ground, there was blood. But Bird Boy had disappeared. The only things that had survived the attack were the animals, and now they were roaming about. The carnivorous ones were eating the dead bodies, while the herbivores left the bloodshed and began to eat the plants on the very outskirts of the scene._

_It all began to fade into black, and once it was solid, Bird Boy once again appeared. But this time, he wasn't wearing his usual attire. He wore black slacks and a red button-down shirt that was completely opened to show off his chest. Dark scars marred the pale flesh. What was interesting, was that there were a pair of wings protruding from his back. There were white and brown feathers, colors of a bird of prey._

_He laid there, peacefully, before a sword was plunged through his heart. Being killed so suddenly, he didn't awake, and it looked as if he wasn't hurt by the action. But blood still pooled from the wound, covering all of his scars. _

_And up above him, sitting on the moon, was a stunningly beautiful woman with platinum blonde hair, skin made from the radiance of the moon, and eyes made of starlight. She wore all black, making her blend in with the night sky. The woman weeped. The tears that streamed down her face turned into sparkling stars, all except one. That one tear fell from the sky and landed on Bird Boy. His eyes fluttered open and he stood up before pulling the sword out of his chest. The blood soaked back into his chest and the wound closed. But there was another forever scar, one that would never ever leave._

_Immortal and Mortal. Deity and Human. Sister and Brother. Siblings of the Moon. One would constantly die while the other tried their hardest to keep the other alive. Never shall they meet, and never shall they look into one another's eyes. Only one knows what they are. While the other is oblivious forever._

I awoke with a start. Not only was my dream creepy, all of my dreams kept having the same theme. Mass death, Bird Boy dying, a woman crying, Bird Boy coming back to life. The same concept over and over. But two things that were constantly the same, no matter how the dream went, was that the animals always survived and that the woman always looked the same.

What did it all mean? If it meant anything, that is. But it shouldn't mean anything, considering that it was only a dream. It was normal for kids in this village to predict things while they were going through puberty. But did that mean I just foresaw the death of the entire village. Then again, I didn't see me die, so does that mean I'm a survivor? And I didn't see Galux anywhere. Does that mean we aren't there when it happens? Or do we die in a different way? Or maybe we aren't affected by it? I felt so confused. Nothing made sense, because if I had just foreseen the death of the entire village, I should tell my parents and the village elders. But it was also a rule to keep our visions a secret. We shouldn't share them, or else a dire misfortune could occur.

So here was the big question. Should I risk the consequences? Or should I keep quiet and hope for the best? At the time, I was leaning toward keeping quiet. Because if I told them about the the dream, I would have to tell them about Bird Boy, and then he might be considered a threat. I'd rather keep him under wraps.

While thinking, I slowly slipped out of the bed. I forced myself to move, like a snail, toward the bathroom. I did the usual, showering, brooding, talking with Galux. When I came out again, feeling like a human, I remembered with a jump start that I had forgotten my bag at the lake. I raced for my window, and cursed when I noticed that it was about ten in the morning, a decent sized crowd would already be there. It would be so much safer for me to just stay here, and avoid everyone for today and pray that no one would either find or recognize my bag.

I began to pace about my room, my yellow dress flowing in my created wind. Galux watched me for a bit before mewing and pawing at my door. Me and my pure smarticles(smart particles) had just realized that Galux had to go out. The past few days, she had been using my window to get in and out, but she was tired of it. I took care of her, meaning I had to travel down the stairs, grab an apple to eat, before opening the front door and following Galux around.

Since I had nothing to do, and Galux was restless, I decided I would visit the best, and only, story teller around. He was a good guy, not to mention Galux just loves to mess with his wolf, Wolborg. It didn't take me long to travel over to his house, considering he lived just a few doors away. I used to be surprised that he even lived near us. You see, Tala wasn't exactly a hermit, but he could act like a grouchy old man whenever it suited him.

I knocked on his door, grinning like the crazy person I was. It was quite possible that I was one of the only kids he could stand. Most days, he could be heard complaining to his neighbor and best friend, Kai about how kids needed to learn respect and they needed to be given a good beating. The kids were scared and stayed as far away as possible from those two houses, fearing that they'd be tortured violently. All the parents knew that the two men were just joking around, they were really big softies. I should know, if I wasn't home, at the lake, or somewhere in between, I'd be at one of their houses playing with their 'companions for life'.

My ears twitched, I could hear Tala mumbling something about crazy kids and cookies. I wondered what had happened this time. Maybe he was baking cookies when kids decided to bother him and they got burnt? I should bring him some cookies one day, make up for the loss.

"What'cha want?" Tala growled. Apparently, he knew that I was coming today, because he had a white wig, glasses, and a cane, which he was waving about like a lunatic. "Crazy kids! Get off my lawn!" I was laughing so hard, because of Tala and because Galux and snuck inside and pounced on the sleeping white wolf.

"Can…can I…come…in?" I said between pauses in laughter. I had to hold onto the frame of the door just to stay upright. Tala only nodded in consent when he heard a howl of pain from Wolborg. He knew Galux had found her friend, and she wouldn't leave until she had spent at least an hour playing. So I kicked off my shoes and left them on the porch. Hey, I didn't want to track dirt everywhere in his home.

"So, I liked your old man ploy. Are you gonna be him when you grow up?" I asked. Tala, despite him being in his early thirties, was like a giant child with more of an adult sense of humor. He was quite random and crazy, but it suited him.

"Yeah, that was my big dream as a young lad, missy." He was still in his old man outfit, and it didn't look like he was coming out of it anytime soon. He led me into the living room, where Kai was happily drinking coffee. How that man was able to drink hot coffee at about eleven in the morning, while it was starting to get hot outside, I'll never know.

Did you know that in the past six years that I have known him, I had yet to see him smile. He always had this frown on his face, unless he was smirking at something, and even a smirk was rare. How could he not laugh, let alone smile, when he was with Tala almost all the time? That was another question that I doubted I'd ever know.

The redhead plopped down onto the cream colored love-seat and gestured to a matching armchair for me. The sounds of wrestling in the hallway kept the silence from becoming too thick. I quickly sat and just looked around the room, since it never ceased to amaze me. The love-seat and the two armchairs, all this off-white color, were in a circle at the center of the room. The floor was this dark cherry wood and there was an ice blue rug that covered most of it. The walls were this light sky blue that were covered with paintings of Russia and photographs of ice covered plants. On a dark wooded table, stood several pictures, most of them of Wolborg as a puppy. But there was one photograph of a woman and a child. The woman was a pretty brunette with light brown eyes. The young boy had brown hair, like the woman, but ice blue eyes. Exactly like Tala's. You see, he had a wife and child, but he was exiled from Russia for a crime he didn't commit and was hunted until he crossed the border into China. One day, he stumbled into our village, about six years ago, and was easily accepted and given Wolborg.

"And you are here…why?" Tala did some strange facial movement while his hands went in circular motions.

"I want to hear a story, about the moon." Normally I wasn't so forward, but I really needed something to make me feel better. My dream, no matter how hard I tried to escape, it kept coming. Maybe the story would make sense and it could help me decode my dream. You never know, help can come from the strangest of sources.

"Ooo. I've got the perfect story for you, you'd like it. It's about, well, you'll find out." I watched Kai settle into the armchair even more as Tala laid down on the love-seat, feet hanging over the armrest. When ever he told stories, he'd never look at you. He believed that if he did, the magic of the words would be lost.

"Many years ago, way before humans existed, there was a huge battle. The Sun believed that he could create the most beautiful and interesting being, something he decided to call a human. The Moon was angered by his boast, even though she was supposedly the kindest entity in the universe. She didn't think she could create the best, but hated the fact that her lover always thought of himself as the best at everything.

"'Let us have a contest,' She said. 'Whoever can create the most interesting and beautiful creature to be accepted by another on earth is the winner.' She wasn't sure if she would win, but it would be fun to have contest that she had a decent chance at.

"So the Sun destroyed all of the living creatures on earth and created new ones, the dominate creatures known has humans. It took hundreds of thousands years to even create the so called 'Perfect Human', every personality trait and every feature had to be carefully chosen, since one was bound to lose.

"It took until the middle of the twentieth for the contest to really start. They placed their creations in two different environments, waited and watched. The woman, or Sister Sun, was wanted by every man in the city. Everyone who saw her, wanted her. Her blonde hair was made of wheat, her skin looked as if the Sun had kissed her himself, which he had. She was tall, thin, and had just the slightest hint of muscles. But for all the hard work he put into that girl, he forgot intelligence. He wasn't worried though, because of the way the Moon made Brother Moon.

"Brother Moon was very different from everyone else. His hair was made from silver moonbeams, his eyes of green emeralds, while his skin was made of the dark of night. He was given a bit above average intelligence, but amazing survival instincts and was placed outside a small village. He wasn't made for human contact, so he stayed close, but far enough away to live in peace.

"Sun laughed at Moon's choice, saying that there was no way that she would win. But he grew silent when he noticed how one girl from that small village saw Brother Moon and wouldn't leave him alone. He was both interesting, for living in the wild, and beautiful, for he does not look as most others do.

"Sun was angered at the thought that Moon beat him, so he made up new rules for the game. If Brother Moon could interest a hundred females, and not just fleeting wonder, Moon had won the game. Moon thought this was fair, until she found out that Sister Sun was able to come up and live with her creator, while Moon was forced to bring her brother back to life again and again, never able to meet him.

"Each of her tears created the stars, except for one lone tear, which would land on her dead brother and revive him, forcing him to walk the earth again, never able to rest in peace. And every time he came back, something had changed. The same combination could never be used twice, but parts could be used. Parts were always used.

"Yet, he never gave up, and they still say that he's walking around, trying to get someone interested. If he can, he's one step closer to beating the Sun, and showing him that Moon wasn't as weak as he thought."

Everything was silent after the last words left his mouth. Even Galux and Wolborg couldn't be heard, then again, they were probably taking a quick rest before starting up once more. The first time someone made a sound that wasn't breathing, was Kai when he decided that his cup was empty, so he stood and walked over to the kitchen, purposely making more noise then needed with his feet.

"Thank you for the story, it was amazing." I whispered before also standing up. Tala had yet to move, eyes still fixed upon the ceiling. I didn't bother him, for I knew he was still in a trance from the story. It could be awhile before the scenes were gone and he could see normally once more. Sad really, because that meant I would have to keep Wolborg busy until his friend woke up. But maybe Kai would help, he's a decent guy and a good friend.

I made my way to the kitchen, which had the same color scheme as the living room, dark woods, ice blues, and off-whites. Kai, who I thought was happily, sitting at the table and drinking more coffee. I still don't know how he can drink coffee at noon, when he's wide awake. He misses nothing, like an owl, except that he doesn't have those really wide eyes.

Kai rarely talks to me or anyone who isn't Tala. Strange thing that Kai is…

"You feel like helping Wolborg keep busy?" I asked, bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet. I was not looking forward to keeping a three year old wolf busy for an unknown amount of time. If that wolf wasn't keep busy, he'd destroy the whole place, and wolves like him didn't need fire, bombs, or explosives.

"Dranzer…" He mumbled. I knew the reason he rarely spoke to other people besides Tala, his thick Russian accent. Most people didn't realize it, but Kai was really self-conscious about his differences, and hated if people commented on them.

"You can bring her here, I'm sure Tala won't mind." I pleaded, for I didn't want to be left alone with two hungry hunters. "Please?"

He stared down at his coffee cup for a few minutes. I knew he would help me, he was really just softie once you got past all of his 'don't talk to me' modes. "Fine." He sighed before whistling. I knew that his bird responded to signals and had amazing hearing, so he could go almost anywhere in the village and Dranzer would come if he called. Lucky man, Galux only appeared when she wanted to, and that was fairly rare.

A beautiful red and gold parrot flew through Tala's open window, cooing softly. The wings and tail were amazingly long, the feathers vibrant. The only thing that wasn't colored like fire, were the beak and eyes. It had such color, it was almost as if there was glitter surrounding her as she landed on Kai's shoulder, but it was only the sun bouncing off the feathers.

"Thank you!" I gave him a grateful smile, have I mentioned how much I hated having to take care of two hungry hungry hunters?, before jumping up and skipping over to the fridge. I searched for a few seconds before pulling out my prize, a bag of raw meat. No, it isn't normal to keep several bags of raw meat in your fridge unless you were planning a carnivorous slumber party, which Tala said he was gonna plan one of these days.

The bag was about seven pounds of raw meat mix. Tala made the mixture himself because all the animals used to create it he had hunted down himself. I cradled the bag like a bag and carried it through the living room, down a hall, and outside to his backyard. The area in the back was about a fourth of an acre, and in the center were Galux and Wolborg sunbathing.

Galux looked up sleepily when the smell of food drifted over to her. She used her tail to nudge her buddy awake. He growled, she mewed and finally he looked up, saw me with the meat, and did an all out sprint towards me. Me? I wasn't taking any chances so I tossed the bag towards them and jogged inside. Then I wandered into the kitchen, washed my hands, and sat down next to Kai while listening to the sounds of Galux and Wolborg ripping into the bag and tearing it to shreds.

Tala randomly stumbled into the kitchen while rubbing at his eyes. "That was one wicked headache." He mumbled as he poured a cup of coffee and held a bag of ice to his head. Once again, how they could drink coffee in the middle of the day really confused me.

"The troops are fed." I told him once he sat down and looked like he wasn't going to kill anything that made noise. That was probably one of the reasons I rarely asked him for stories…those strange homicidal urges he gets afterwards.

He grinned before thanking me, and for awhile we sat around in his kitchen and talked. The time flew so fast, it was sundown before I knew it, and since I had been so engrossed in talking, I hadn't eaten a decent meal all day. I excused myself, saying that I should be getting home and all that jazz. Tala refused to let me leave unless I took a backpack full of food, saying that I should eat more since I was becoming skin and bones. I decided that I would humor him so I could leave that much faster, so I called Galux and was on my way.

I slipped my shoes on, called bye over my shoulder, and began to jog towards the lake. Everyone would have left bye now since there was a huge party at Ray's tonight. And in this village, huge meant that everyone was invited. But my friend wasn't really expecting me to come, considering I hate loud noises and parties tended to have lots of those.

It wasn't long until I reached the lake. I'd been going back and forth so much for the past few days, it wasn't really surprising. The warm colors of sunset glowed on the lake, and I was fairly content to sit on a rock, on the north side, and watch the slow yet wonderful light show.

My thoughts had to do with Bird Boy, my dreams, and Tala's story. Scary thing? Bird Boy looks nothing like Brother Moon in the story, and yet he could be him. If I remembered correctly, he said that Brother Moon constantly changed. And while I pondered about those things, I distantly heard the sound of music pounding. Actually, felt was a better word. I could feel it in my feet.

"Here you go." The sound startled me, but I recognized the voice enough not to scream. That and I heard Galux growl lightly. She still didn't trust Bird Boy, I guess. I turned my head so I could see him better, and I noticed that he held a bag out in my direction. My black bag to be exact.

"Oh! You found it! Thank you, Bird Boy!" I bounced up and down on my rock happily, smiling all the while. I gently took the bag from his hands and gave Galux a pat on the head.

"Bryan." I heard him mumbled. I tilted my head slightly to the side with a confused look on my face.

"Huh?"

"My name, it's Bryan." He looked slightly confused. I was pretty sure it was at himself, but maybe I'm wrong.

But I just grinned at him and held out my hand. "Nice to meet you, I'm Mariah." Now, we had officially met. Kind of strange, knowing his real name. "Thanks again, Bir-I mean, Bryan."

He snorted in what I think was amusement. I ignored him, sat down on the sand, and pulled out a sandwich. I was happily munching along when I suddenly had a strange thought. What if he doesn't get that much to eat, and here I am stuffing my face in front of him? I felt horrid, so I dug deep into my bag and pulled another sandwich out and held it out to him. He was on the rock above me, so when he stared at the sandwich it felt as if he was staring at me.

"What is that?" Bryan asked, poking the mixture of condiments, meat, and bread. I looked at him as if he was crazy.

"It's a sandwich, silly. What did you think it is?" I laughed until I realized that he was serious, then I quickly sobered up. Poor man, growing up without knowing the knowledge of the wonders of a sandwich. He didn't answer, but I watched him poked, stare, and taste the item. Apparently, he liked it enough to quickly gobble down the rest of that one sandwich and to start on the next one. In total, I had three sandwiches while he had seven. Seven! I also watched him eat both apples and the three oranges. He also downed four waters the second he found them while I was still nursing my one. The way he eat, it made me think that he barely ate, and certainly not enough to survive on. So it was then I made up my mind.

"How do you get food?" I asked, leaning against the rock happily with a curled up Galux by my side. I noticed that Bryan kept one leg tucked up next to him, but he had the other leg dangling off the rock by me.

"I hunt." He said in between mouthfuls of food. I knew he was a man of few words, and I was determined to break that habit.

"Can I help at all?" I looked up at him just to watch he stare at me, wondering what I was up to. I watched his eyes travel up and down my body, but I had a feeling that it wasn't anything sexual. He was just eyeing me to see if I could help, that's all. But why did my stomach feel like a thousand butterflies were having a wild party?

"No." It didn't take long for that answer to leave his mouth.

"And why not!" I could tell he was gonna answer with the classic 'because I said so' so I gave him a look of my own. The wonderful look a woman typically uses, 'Don't give me that crap or I'll give you hell'.

"Your hair." He mumbled so quietly I thought I heard him wrong.

"My hair?!" I gasped, looking at him as if he stole a bank.

"It's pink." He knew I was about to argue, so he quickly cut me off and continued. He bent down and picked up a handful of flowers, pink to be exact. "Pink wildflowers grow in small clumps, such a large amount of pink as yours would cause the animals to know an intruder's about. Not to mention, flowers don't float."

After that, I tried to get him to speak more about the downfalls of my hair but he wouldn't budge and he refused to say anything more. Even so, I knew that I d gotten him to say more than he had in a lifetime. I was content to sit there and star gaze with his presence lightly there considering he could just sit still and he could seem to disappear. Even though I could feel his body heat next to me, I always had the feeling he had left, but I didn't have to endure that for long. Galux got restless and forced me to leave to the lake.

I decided to leave my bag with him, because he knew how I treated his wounds and now he would be able to do it whenever he saw fit. So I took Tala's bag, went back home, late or course, and dreaded what I was going to do the next day. I was determined to help him, even if I had to give up something dear to me. I had an inkling that I wasn't going to enjoy this.


	6. Changing for You

Untold Memories

(1) I made this up, so sue me. Bast is the Egyptian goddess of cats and justice, though.

Also, I'm terribly sorry that I haven't updated in what seems like forever. It probably has been. I'll say this right now, my computer keeps dying. Which means I've redone this chapter several times. I'm really sorry and I hope you'll forgive me and won't chase after me with pitchforks, torches, and blowtorches.

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Beyblade.

It was early morning when I finally decided to wake up. Galux was curled up, still sleeping beside me on the bed. Sunlight flooded the room, giving it a cheery feel. And yet, joy was the farthest thing from my mind. I was completely changing myself, for a boy! That was one thing that I thought would never happen. Then again, I never thought that I would even meet a boy who interested me. I either think of them a friends, brothers, or idiots that I could never see myself reproducing with…which is a nasty thought in itself.

I sighed tiredly before forcing myself up from my bed. I still wanted to sleep, and yet I couldn't help but feel a strong pull towards the light. But I could already see that my once flawless tan was slowly disappearing, and it wasn't even winter yet. If I remembered correctly, it was only mid summer.

Bryan…

His name was my downfall. Even just thinking it made me giddy, even though I knew he could easily kill me. He hunted for food, surely he had gone after something much larger and stronger than me. And yet…he seemed to handle me with care, as if he was worried about truly hurting me.

The warm water of a shower cascaded down my back as I closed my eyes, picturing his perfect face, or perfect to me. The silvery-lilac hair that was tied to a loose ponytail at the nape of his neck, the storm grey eyes that could kill with a single glance, the flawless white skin that could only belong to a

servant of the night. He wasn't like the perfect man I had pictured in my head, but here I was, hopelessly thinking about him constantly. He had even invaded my dreams again, except it wasn't like the past ones. They were more of memories that I had of him. I didn't have very many but the ones I did have were good enough to hide the call of the sun for as long as it did.

I wasn't good enough for him. My hair pink, eyes yellow, and tan skin, I couldn't hunt, couldn't conceal my hiding place in the darkness. I would probably get him killed, but I still wanted to be with him. And I wouldn't tell him how I felt. That would only make him back away and purposely ignore me. I couldn't deal with that right now. I really couldn't. I at least wanted a few more memories, just so I could always remember him.

The spray hit my face when I shifted slightly. Why did I always want what I couldn't have? I wanted so much, but I could never have it, so I locked it away in my heart until I was content. And then, this amazing guy walks in and destroys my perfectly made wall until I just want everything, even him.

With my hair still wet from my shower, I shuffled through my drawers before pulling out a cube of wax and a black bottle of hair dye. I coated a small amount of on my bangs in wax. After that, I squeezed the bottle over my head, let the liquid set, before getting rid of all the excess.

I didn't dare look in the mirror, I didn't want to see the new me. My hair hung wet all about my face, so I tucked it behind my ears and hoped that I wouldn't have to see it prematurely. I wasn't ready for so much change yet.

I walked back into my bedroom just to have Galux leap at me and growl, angered by the fact that I looked different. Sure, I smelled the same, just a little cleaner, but I just looked so_ different. _I'll be blunt, I was scared.

I'm scared that Bryan doesn't like me, that he'll hate what I've done to help him. I'm afraid of somehow losing him now that we've gotten so close, in my opinion. I'm worried that if my family found out, I'll never be able to see him again. I'm nervous because there is the possibility of being killed while helping him.

I was wreck. Thousands upon thousands of doubts fill my mind, but I can't _do _anything. It's as if I'm being controlled, not that I mind it. Even though so many horrible things could happen, I still want to help. Is that even normal? What in hell? Nothing is normal. I'm not normal, and you aren't normal either. What is normal? Feelings? Family? Unity? Love? I think all of that is 'normal' but an individual person can't be 'normal'. We're all just so different.

While thinking, I began to rummage through my closet. All I had on was a fluffy yellow bathrobe, considering I had just gotten out the shower. Besides, I had to figure out what I could wear, now that I had new hair and all.

In the very back of my closet, I saw a pair of dark forest green combat boots, which are perfect, by the way! After that, I slipped into a pair of not-too-tight-but-not-too-loose black jeans and a navy blue shirt that used to be Lee's. Huh. Half of my clothes used to be Lee's, not that I wear them that often.

I stood in the center of my room, not knowing what I should do next. I could look in the mirror, but that would require me to actually figure out who I am. After a few minutes of debating and Galux's whining, I walked into my bathroom with my eyes closed.

I felt the cold walls as I entered with my eyes closed. When a hand brushed the frozen ceramic of the sink, I quickly opened my eyes. Yellow orbs stared back at me, but that's not what I noticed first. It was my hair. It was as dark as midnight, with a small section of pink bangs on either side. The length was the same, but it was curled a little more, just barely.

I almost laughed outright, but controlled it so it was only a low chuckle. This, _new _me represented things like happiness and survival while my old self was depression, anonymity. Funny how I now look depressed but couldn't be further from it, isn't it?

And I couldn't stop my small laughter from growing so loud that I had worried knocks pounding on my bathroom door. I rarely, if ever, laughed inside the house, so of course they were worried. I quickly opened the door and watched my parent's faces expressed extreme shock.

My mother was a pure blood neko-jin, with bubble-gum pink hair, like_ mine_ and the dark green eyes of a cat. Her nails were constantly shaped to look like claws and her ears were only slightly less pointed then a cat's. Some people were surprised that she didn't have a tail. Sitting at my mother's feet was a white tiger.

My father was, interestingly, a man from Africa. He was traveling the world, found this place by accident, and fell in love with mother. At least, that's what they say. He's scarily tall and skin the color of dark chocolate. His eyes were a deep amber-brown color. At his feet was a dingo, happily chewing on an old steak bone.

Did you know that there's a legend that cat people like mother are extremely lucky, and if you get married to one, your luck increases(1)? Yeah, it's true. Where my father is from, Egypt, there are many legends pertaining to Bast, a goddess depicted to have a cat head, and half-human half-cat people. In order to easier find justice in the land, Bast created these half-and-half beings. If you found one while being accused of something and they stayed by your side, you weren't guilty. If you got married to one, anything of large importance that you were accused of doing was dismissed. If it was later found that you did do it, the neko-jin would leave you and never return since he or she trusted you.

"Are you all right?" My mother asked, a light lisp in her speaking. Her fangs are quite large, I'm kinda surprised that they haven't cut her lips into small ribbons yet. My father nodded, agreeing with her. He was a man of few words. I could hear the worry in mother's voice and see the fear in my father's eyes.

"Just fine," I said quietly, turning back to stare at the mirror. I touched it gently, tracing my seemingly new features. "I just wanted a change, nothing more, nothing less." Now that I look back, I could tell my tone was flat, just wanting them to leave. Which they did. They always were respectful of my space.

The tiger took a bit longer to leave, staring at me with her all knowing amber eyes. I could almost hear her voice in my head, _Don't destroy their trust in you._

I only nodded. I wasn't even able to look her in the eyes. She knew so much, nothing could ever be hidden from her all seeing eyes. Everything, every little movement and thought was hers to know. She wouldn't tell mother or father my secrets, but she knew them, and she wouldn't let them go. She'd sit on the sidelines, waiting, watching me. Biding her time until I screwed up royally, then she would spill. Tell everything that she had deducted from watching me closely. And, of course, they would believe her and I would be locked up, forever stuck with someone trusted watching over me. I wouldn't be able to feel or taste freedom again. In other words, Shentai was threatening me with my own life. She was telling me that I would be the destruction of myself.

When she left, once again I was able to breath. I stared at myself, asking my reflection if what I was doing right. I watched my amber eyes, waiting. I noticed the flashes of pain, hate, and love. I had no idea what each connected to, but I had a guess. One that I thought was really stupid.

I closed my eyes, welcoming the darkness. I wanted it, needed it. I couldn't stand to see color, what I had changed myself into. Still within the darkness, I backed away from the mirror and the bathroom, and landed backwards on my bed with a thump. My hands automatically covered my eyes, sighing as I felt cool air moving its way into my room. I just knew that my parents had forgotten to close my door. Again.

But I was too lazy to move, so I let the freshness make its way in, taking over the slightly stale and stuffy air of my room. Twitching my ears slightly, I could hear Galux downstairs, chewing loudly on a bone. A large bone at the sound of it.

A bone the color of ivory. The same color skin as Bryan. Oh, how I wished I could see him at that moment. I just wanted another memory, but I also wanted him to return my feelings. I didn't love, at least, not yet. But I cared for him a lot, much more that I cared for any other human. He was the only one I had ever known that I just wanted to be with all times of the day, even though we were different as night and day. Sister of the Sun, Brother of the Moon.

…

How I wished that someone would come and take me away, far far away from all of this. Where I couldn't feel all this pain. How I wished that Bryan would be that person, even if this was only a passing fancy, which is exactly what it was, right? Right?

I was too tried to fight with myself, even though it was still morning. I closed my eyes and let the feeling of cool air wrapping around my body take over, lulling me to sleep.

_Silver. Ivory. Bones._

_Lavender. Purple. Lilacs._

_Grey. Ash. Clouds. _

_The colors of Bryan. The colors of my forbidden fruit. Something that I wanted so much, yet couldn't touch._

_The six colors swirled together, creating pictures that disappeared before I could even figure out what they were. The three items. A firm picture that was always there, no matter what the colors tried to do._

_An overcast sky with clouds. Clouds that were the same color as his smoldering eyes. __Lilacs dotted the barren land, forcing color into the scene that would normally be just black, white, and grey. His hair was the same soft color, something strange for such a strong man. Bones. Ivory color was strewn everywhere. They couldn't hide from sight even if they wanted to. His skin. Skin that was rough from living in the wild, with scars dotting his entire body. Skin that hadn't willingly seen the light of day in years. Only the distant, muted light of the setting sun and rising moon. Only the faraway twinkling of stars lit his path._

_And then there was me. I wasn't pretty or perfect, like him. And even when my colors flashed before my eyes, I could only feel disdain._

_Yellow. Amber. Flames._

_Pink. Coral. Hearts._

_Tan. Olive. Deserts._

_These are the colors of me. The colors that are who I am and was. Mine didn't form pictures like Bryan's. They just sat there in their small orbs, floating along in their meaningless life while the background picture constantly moved in and out of focus._

_Flames. Hundreds upon thousands of little flickering flames created by candles. Flames that were really my eyes, moving in and out of view, seeing everything but nothing. The sound of millions of beating hearts echoed in the wallless room. You couldn't see them, but you knew that they were hidden in the shadows, their coral colors just barely visible. Just like my hair. My pink hair that I hid in the shadows of black yet some could still be seen. Desert sands were the floor instead of wood or tile. Their color reflected my skin. One grain was white while another was darker. My skin color constantly changed depending on the sun. Skin that was never only one color._

_And the two pictures clashed together. Flames dancing among the lilacs, clouds sheltering the sand, bones and hearts melting together to create something entirely new. The twisting colors of Bryan merged with mine. All twelve were now orbs, but they moved in such a way so they could create a picture, but froze and started anew before it could be completed._

_Nothing and everything was there. It was dark and light, black and white. You understood everything yet nothing, couldn't see and hear, but then you could. Yin and yang. That was this dream world. Nothing but a lack of creativeness would destroy it, at least, nothing could until I woke up._

I bolted up from my sleep. My dream hadn't been unpleasant, just…unexpected. The twisting and turning of the colors…ugh. It just made me feel sick. I wished I could understand it more, but dismissed it as just a strange dream. In this small world of mine, such things were normal for teenagers to go through.

And yet, this didn't feel normal. I felt as if something bigger was going on. Then again, I always was paranoid.

Silently, I stood and wandered over to my closed window. The heat of the late afternoon sun beat against my skin. Dust lazily made its way to the ground, birds darted past my window. The flashing colors and sleepy attitude of it all put me to ease. I could relax, forget my worries. I didn't have to be Mariah, I didn't have to be afraid of getting close to people I loved. Maybe, for once, I could be happy, even if it was only in a pretend world that I rarely visited.

Even though I looked out the window, I couldn't see anything. Parts of my dream kept flashing through my head, blocking my view of the real world. Not that I cared. I never felt like a part of the world, just there. An annoying bug that buzzed about until the day they died. It didn't matter wether I lived or died, no one would care.

No. I'm wrong. Mother and father would care, so would Lee in his own sadistic way. Galux would probably be the most heart-broken. I'm guessing that Tala would miss me in his own way, since I'm the only kid he can stand. Maybe Wolborg would mourn me too. I smiled slightly at that thought. I could picture it, the wolf howling at the moon with Galux by his side, her own whining joining his to create the haunting song of death.

I pushed myself from both my window and my morbid thoughts. Even though I left both behind, I could feel the black tendrils of morbidity reach out and grasp my brain, sinking their poison roots deep within so I could never escape. Not that I wanted too. Sometimes, those roots were the only thing that made me feel alive. At least, they were until Bryan came along.

And even though they attacked at my mind, the pain of my stomach muscles clenching together from the lack of food brought me back from my self-pity mode. I winced slightly at the pain before slowly heading for my open door, for the open stairs. I dragged my feet against the carpet, closing my eyes and hoping that I wouldn't be destroyed from the inside out by my worrying parents. A toe gently touched an edge of a boot. The green one.

As I traveled down the stairs, quietly hoping that I would be alone, my wish was halfway granted. Yes, my parents were gone. Yes, Lee was off at another party. But Galux…There she sat at the bottom of the stairs, swinging her tail about lazily while gnawing on a bone. Even though I wanted to be alone, having Galux there just made me feel better. It may sound strange, but at least I wasn't all alone with my mind. I could talk with her, and she would understand me and make stupid jokes just so I could forget. Sure, she'll still be bitter about me changing and all that, but we were still friends. She wasn't going to run off and never return just because I started to depend on someone else besides her.

In fact, Galux was probably happy that I wasn't clinging onto her as I normally do.

When I passed her, she rolled over so she could slowly follow me into the kitchen. After pulling open the fridge and mulling about, I finally decided on what to eat. I took left over steak, pasta, and string beans. After piling a giant amount of pasta onto a plate and chopping the meat and vegetables into small pieces, I put it all in the microwave for a few minutes.

I didn't let my mind wander, because that was dangerous when I get into those moods, so I spent my time looking for a decent salad dressing. I was completely focused, even though it was on something stupid. Things that I did and didn't like about a particular dressing and why I didn't like it, so on and so forth. I was forced from this concentrated state when I heard a bell-like ding, so I grabbed my absolute favorite, blueberry and pomegranate.

Sprinkling the dressing over the food, I began to eat half-minded, not really paying attention to what I was doing. I was trying to consume as much time as possible so I wouldn't have time to wallow in self-pity. Sadly, that's kinda of what I did best.

So I stood up, leaning on the counter, while half-heartedly talking to Galux. She was telling me all the reasons why I shouldn't be hanging with an older man, all alone, at night, far enough away so no one would be able to reach me if they were even able to hear my screams. She told me that she would dance around my grave, laughing_ I told you so_ all day and night long.

I snorted and told her that Bryan wouldn't do that, he had had plenty of chances to kill me, and he hadn't. Bryan could have easily killed us the night we first met him, but he didn't. He let us escape, let us run away with the secret of him.

I knew I was just trying to defend him even though Galux's logic clearly outweighed my affection towards him. It was strange though. Why protect him? I mean, he tried to kill me and refuses my offers of help. Then again, maybe…maybe he just needs time.

I awoke from my daze when I heard the horrid sound of metal scraping against ceramic. The fork quickly dropped from my hand as I picked up the plate and left it in the sink. My eyes traveled toward the window, watching the swirling colors of the setting sun. I didn't even think of going outside yet, too light out. So, instead, I gave myself a quest to my bedroom so I could get my shoes.

I moved quickly and silently, trying to blend in enough so I could make Bryan proud of me so I could help. It didn't make long for me to put on thick black socks and tie up my shoes. Only a minute for me to run down the stairs and out the front door, Galux right on my heals. She still didn't trust Bryan. She at least wanted to be there so she could protect me.

I heard and felt the thumping music from Max's house which held tonight's 'kids party' while the lower and more soothing music came from Tala's home because of the 'grownup get-together'. I tried my best to blend in with the darkness as I flitted by both houses. It wasn't that hard, but I had the aching feeling that someone was watching me. Not the painful/scary way that Bryan tended to have, but a softer, more inquiring stare.

I had a feeling that no matter how hard Bryan could try, he could never pull off a soft stare. He was all force and calculation. Why look at something softly and subtly when you could do it faster by being hard and cruel, not to mention you could get more information if you could get it to squirm. That was probably Bryan's reasoning.

Though I was racing, and in shoes no less, I still managed to stay upright and normal. Yes, I let my mind wander, but I had traveled this path so many times, it was impossible to not be able to do this with my eyes closed.

The wind gently caressed my face while pulling my hair from my face. Galux, being nice for once, actually kept to my side so I wouldn't trip. I think she could tell that I wanted to actually keep my balance for once. I mean, wearing closed toed shoes were hard enough to move in as it was, I didn't need anymore help than usual to end up tripping and/or falling. Not that I was clumsy or anything, just, these shoes are so annoying!

The soft sounds of crickets chirping and small animals moving almost silently created such a simple yet complicated song, it took hold of my thoughts. Not that that's a bad thing. It kept me from the more morbid and nasty thoughts I could come up with.

Sadly, I wasn't paying attention, which caused me to be pulled rather forcefully from the path and into the forest that surrounded the path. Breath ghosted over my face as my eyes widened intensely. Lilac hair shone dangerously in the darkness, gray eyes laughing silently as they bore down into my own amber. Right then and there, an agreement was made. I don't think either of us realized it at the time, but we agreed to watch out for one another. I knew that to be the truth as I heard someone travel down the path. I would have ran into them without Bryan's help.

Galux, surprisingly, wasn't growling at him, but still she sat tensely by my feet. I could almost feel her eyes staring up at Bryan, daring him to make a move that she didn't approve of. He, somehow, stepped back, but his hands were still gripping my arms, keeping me close yet far.

"Come." Was all he said. I wasn't surprised. He wasn't exactly a talker. Yet, that one word actually spoke thousands. He trusted me with his life, he knew that I wouldn't give up, he acknowledged that maybe, just maybe, he needed help to survive.

I knew for sure that this was such a strong bond, it couldn't be broken under normal circumstances. No hateful words or lies would break us apart. But there was always the chance that one of us would go crazy and try to kill the other. And that's why I was somewhat hesitant to make this bond. I might kill him, or he might kill me. The latter was a better choice for me, but I doubt that he would like to be the cause of my death.

But, I couldn't let a thing like fear cloud my thoughts right now. I decided that I wanted to be with him, even if in some distant way, and if I had his trust, or at least some of it, I wouldn't dare turn away from it. Besides, if he didn't trust me, why show me his back? If I was more experienced, I could easily kill him. Then again, maybe that's why he's letting me see his back. Am I not even worth his time?

No. I have to be worth his time. I just have to be. Otherwise, what use would he have for me? Nothing. Nothing at all. So he must be interested in me, even if vaguely. I bet I'm one of the only people he's even talked too. Hell, I must be the only person he's talked too. Then again, how does he even know how to talk unless someone taught him? Ugh. This is too confusing. Maybe I'll just, forgot this for now. Yeah. I'll just forget it.

He moved silently, not even dead leaves underneath his shoes could break up the song. Me, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as quiet. My cat reflexes and instincts did save me several times from embarrassingly loud noises. Like stepping on a fallen branch. Yeah, that would have been bad.

I was entranced with the way he walked, almost like a predator. He didn't stand tall, preferring lower in an almost crouched movement. If he wanted to, he could have reached his hand down and touched the ground easily.

I tried copying his movements and his way of walking, but I wasn't skilled enough. I slowly started to get the hang of it, though, when I saw the way Galux moved. All I had to do was become like a cat, to become Galux herself. Which wasn't extremely difficult. Technically, Galux is the animal version of me. Two halves of a whole.

He led me to a small clearing. Still moving silently, he moved to sit on a fallen log. I just looked at him, wondering what he was playing at. Sighing, he waved me over, motioning to the spot next to him. Moving cautiously, I sat by him.

"What do you hear?" He asked quietly. His voice blended in well with the surroundings sounds of nature. I hadn't noticed before. Maybe because it wasn't as important to me? Anyway, when he did speak, I jerked slightly in surprise.

"I don't know." I admitted quietly.

"Listen." He urged. So we sat in silence. His eyes were closed, but he'd tilt his head to the side once in a while. My guess was so he could hear better. For a bit, I had watched him before screwing my eyes shut. My hearing was good. He knew that. So he was probably expecting big things from me. My whole body my tense, not wanting to fail. At least, I was until he touched my shoulder gently. My eyes flew open and stared into his own. This was one of the few times he had touched me, and, for some reason, it made happiness well up in my stomach. "Relax." He whispered before leaning back.

Once again, I closed my eyes. But this time, I let myself relax. And this'll probably sound cheesy, but I felt as if I had become one with nature. I could hear the crickets chirping, Galux snoring lightly at me feet. Mice moved through the brush around us. Wings flapped, owls hooted. What I had first was silence was actually an entire symphony.

I looked at him with wonder. His face stayed blank, but I could tell that his eyes were laughing, enjoying my wonder.

And for the rest of the night we sat on the fallen tree, listening to nature. The last things I remembered that night was staring up at the sunrise. Then, I was asleep.


End file.
